Rooftop
by Animerulzs1267
Summary: Gilen, tired of everyone's bullying, went to his special place for the chance to calm down. However, he meets someone new. Someone who he hopes doesn't mock him like the rest. 2p!PruCan, Rated T.


Gilen raced upstairs for the rooftop like his life depended on it. As he climbed each step up, his legs weighed heavily as he pushed himself up, making the journey harder than ever. Today was the worst, the others were just as worse but today was essentially terrible. Everyone was on his case and he couldn't handle it—the mocking, the crude jokes, the feeling of helplessness even when he reached for his brother's help but was ignored, as though he didn't exist.

With his vision blurred for soaking tears, Gilen knew he had to get away from it all. The rooftop was the only sanctuary here. It was wide and empty and had the best view of the city. Whenever he needed to get away from it all, he would come here and take all his frustration out. No one ever found out about it, and he thought he was the only one who knew this place.

But this time, Gilen saw a man, leaning on the rail, smoking a cigarette silently while watching the city view. Gilen was stunned. He couldn't move, his eyes were too sore to see clearly and his breathing was shallow, choking his ability to breathe. Who was this man? Did he know him? His body shook in discomfort of both losing his special spot and believing this stranger might mock him for being in such a devastating case.

 _The strange_ _merely turned his head over his shoulder_ _and gave a bewildered expression_ _. Gilen_ _,_ _despite his vision_ _blurred from tears, was astounded by his violet blue eyes_ _. _Oh god,_ _ he thought unhappily, shutting his eyes _._ _H_ _e must think I'm a wimp..._

"Excuse me," the man's voice spoke up in a hoarse but gentle manner, "are you all right?"

Gilen's red eyes widen from the question. He was asking him if he was all right; no one had ever done that before…

Hastily wiping his cheeks and eyes, he answered meekly, "Y...no..."

The man turned around, leaning his back and forearms behind the rail and observed Gilen with a curious look. Gilen, puzzled at this man's question, stared surprisingly yet with suspicion at him.

"What is your name?" He asked.

Standing straight he spluttered, "Gi-Gilen! And you?" As nervous as he was, he wondered if this man was nice or not…

"Matt." Gilen thought how interesting he said it that way, as if he said that to many others in such a monotone way. But that never stopped Gilen feeling suspicious of Matt.

"Uh...what are you doing here?" Gilen wondered aloud. Matt rose an eyebrow in curiosity and Gilen immediately thought he offended Matt. "Ne-never mind, I was...just confused because nobody liked this place and I thought I was the only one who comes here but I guess everyone's allowed, not that I'm special or anything and-" His breathing accelerated instantaneously and he couldn't control himself.

"Calm down, you'll get a headache if you talk so fast," Matt cautioned him sternly.

Gilen felt an unfamiliar, shocking revelation of...kindness by him. No one in his life, not even his brother, had ever said a statement like that with such care, even if he sounded stern. When people heard him stammering like a fool, they say how retarded he was and that he gave anybody who listened to him headaches. As much as it disappointed him, he never spoke unless told to for their sake. It was depressing because he honestly loved to talk to whoever would listen, not that Matt might want that…

This silent stare of astonishment caught Matt's confused look, and Gilen became worried and embarrassed of his bizarre stares.

"Sorry...I just get flustered whenever I mess everything up..."

"What do you mean mess everything up? You hadn't done anything wrong as far as I'm concerned."

"Well, y-you wouldn't want to hear me talk, I'll just bring you down and...give you a headache."

Matt took a drag from his cigarette, paused and blew a long puff of white smoke out. Gilen never liked smoking, but if it could help his stupid anxiety now he would try it. Matt turned away to the view in front of him. Hesitantly, Gilen walked over to Matt's side, keeping the distance between them and watched the city at its best. Then, Matt took out a packet of cigarettes from his pants pocket and actually offered him one, shocking Gilen once again.

Wordlessly, Gilen reached out for one, placed it between his shivering lips and waited patiently for Matt's lighter. However, Matt never brought one out and smoked in their quiet space.

Gilen moved his cigarette to the corner and asked, "Don't you have a light?"

"I do," he replied, "but I'm not lighting it for you."

"Why not?"

"'Cause you wouldn't handle it. The smoke and shit, it's bad for your system."

"Then why do _you_ do it if it's bad?" Gilen inquired curiously.

Matt avoided his interested gaze for the view. "Because why not? I already messed my lungs up, but if someone else wants one for stressful reasons, I just give them the cig and make them question their choice carefully." Matt glanced over to Gilen and gaze a puzzled look.

Gilen looked away, staring off into the distance. The skies' shade of orange was lovely this afternoon and Gilen wondered if everyone already left. Would his brother wait for him? He doubted that assumption, feeling the disappointment he had felt for so long. But there was a feeling of content being with Matt. Though silent and mysterious, Matt seemed casual about Gilen's sudden appearance.

He was so used to people telling him to leave the room or just get ignored by everyone. Being with Matt who acknowledged him felt so surreal yet appreciating. Gilen wondered why Matt conveyed such an understanding attitude to him? Why was he being nice when the rest picked on him relentlessly?

"What're you thinking about?" Matt questioned forthwith as he took another drag.

Gilen glanced at Matt, aware of his curiosity. "I'm just thinking...how nice you are to me."

Matt puffed a long blow, "Yeah, you get enough shit from everyone in the office and meetings," Matt said morosely.

"Huh?" Gilen was honestly confused. "You work in the office?"

"Those assholes act like they never notice I'm there. They know it pisses me off."

"Do we work in different levels?" Gilen asked. He took the cigarette out of his lips and twiddled it with his fingers, examining it

"I work one floor higher than you," he replied deadpan. "We share the same elevator whenever we get the chance."

Gilen almost panicked at that statement. He and Matt shared an elevator together? Gilen couldn't recall Matt taking the elevator with him, but he remembered how busy he would be, taking calls for others and reading papers for the meetings. Maybe Matt was standing next to him all the time, ignoring his frantic panic attacks and constantly dropping a pen or paper on the floor.

"I had no idea..."

"You wouldn't, since you were so busy doing other people's shit all the time."

The silence submerging between them calmed Gilen slightly. Yes, he knew he had always done other's work because of his timid demeanor, but he knew he couldn't stand up and fight back like his brother or anyone else. He was thought as cowardly, the butt of jokes and many cruel adjectives you could think of.

 _It's nice to know I can talk to him_ , he thought graciously, _but like the others who talk to me, I wish they were like him. Oh, what am I thinking about? I hardly know him and I'm acting like he's the only best thing in the world. He wouldn't want me as a friend._

But he often wondered what kept him going from leaving everything behind, but the answer wasn't close as he hoped for. It seemed like nothing in this world gave him the benefit of the doubt...

"Why?"

"What?" Gilen asked, confused.

"Why do you let them bully you all the time? Don't you get sick of everyone picking on you?"

"I...don't really fight back for myself. I guess you could say I'm afraid of getting hurt."

"Don't let that beat you up," Matt advised him, his tone caring, "and don't let them bother you with their work. I know a few assholes who'll get their asses fried if they don't watch out now."

"What do you mean?"

"Believe it or not," he turned to Gilen with a cheeky smile, "I'm your boss's boss."

"...OH CRACKERS!" Gilen nearly dropped his cigarette in a clumsy fashion. However, he closed his palm on the tiny stick and took his arms away from the rail preventing his hands to give out.

Gilen stared in disbelief at Matt who smoked casually to himself. He had no idea that this man was his boss's boss, and the fact that they were together like this was incredibly frightening now. Before he felt secure and thought Matt was considerate, allowing him to speak his troubles so forward, but now he was with his boss's boss and couldn't process this new fact about Matt.

"I-I had no idea you work here, and you're my boss's boss?" Gilen stammered lamely.

"Yeah, well, I guess you could say I'm not afraid of taking charge and getting shit done." Matt answered bluntly.

"Uh...yeah, you're right." Gilen admitted timidly, smiling a little. Despite confessing such a discouraging answer for himself, he was honest about Matt and his obvious courage.

Matt simply shrugged and said, "Nothing to get excited about."

Gilen thought about how amazing Matt was, but then again he always thought everyone was pretty awesome. Yeah, there were some people who were assholes and took advantage of him, but then he would meet certain people who although pitied him seemed sympathetic and treated him like a decent guy. But with Matt the bonding they shared, even though it was incredibly awkward, was comforting.

Matt then leaned away from the rail, flicked his cigarette out in the air and turned around. "We can still hang out, y'know. Unless you're too shocked for all this."

Jerking upward and turning to face him, he said quickly, "I...I don't mind! We could...!" He bit his bottom lip hesitantly and glanced away.

"Friends?" He answered for him.

As Matt walked away, Gilen watched him with revelation. As he raced over to Matt's side, smiling happily to himself, he realized how he always wanted a good friend and now…he finally found one.


End file.
